Communication among many members of the Company had improved thanks not only to many days of wandering but due to the contingencies which demanded from them to understand each other. The step to the balcony made them bend over a deep pit, maybe the deepest they had ever seen till then, from the terrace on which they stood they could stare at a couple of platforms that connected each other through its sides thanks to a couple of tiny salient that enabled to resume the walking standing on a small corridor with many old rungs, some of which were natural rock, others, manufacture. They all stared at each other doubtfully, feeling unable to overcome that obstacle. Lighted up by weak torches and longing for the use of magic banned then by the whopping anti-magic field, they did not decide what to do till Nippur, who stepped forward on the salient protrusion. Not everyone could stick his head out and behold the deed the monk was performing and to many, it was undoubtedly better not to do it. Nippur, unminding his step, lost control, slipped, and fell into the void.
The company was petrified for a couple of instants due to the sudden event. Unable to help it, doubts about resuming the march were raised. Debate broke out gradually. Many didn´t feel like facing that kind of obstacle, but the truth is that the fear of holt made them react to face the challenge for days before them was the city of Hasti Laatus whose slave traders were still after them. The following attempt they made with ropes set to prevent them from falling. Slowly they made it from one balcony to another, probing their technique efficiently. Through every single opening they made it hard and with fear, they found arches in passages with diverse inscriptions about past deeds, prayers, or mentions of Raymur. Trying to crack one of them, Dazin activated a trap which explosion cast him into an endless gorge. Another member of the group fell into the jaws of the insatiable abyss. The passages, besides being full of traps, were rustically decorated. In one of the rooms, there were statues of Mereth and Raymur. Other carpets had designs of Raymur and his saint on them. Through one of the lowest balconies, they made out a wide room with many torches. They went across the last balconies dodging many traps and hardships before they decided to enter one of the rooms not overseeing the gadgets they found in their ways such as a font or exorcism representations.
After roaming they made it to an illuminated vast chamber. Walking around the place they found eleven cells from which one of them suggested having been forced. Before they opened it they checked the other side of the room on which there was an altar. To get to it they surrounded a pit in which there was a horrible creature they preferred to avoid. They walked carefully and came to the other corner. An altar to Raymur was there, the god of healing. Doing some research they found a false bottom under one of the altar’s millstones where there were scrolls and books. Many of them were written in what seemed to be an elfish language known as drow. Ralminiarrak read one of the pages to try to understand that unknown language.
Finally, they opened a cell door which to their surprise, was a creature inside. A humanoid figure, three meters tall appeared as long as they approached the torch at the end of the cave. The sulfur smell on the walls was unbearable and among other stinking smells, they turned the room sickening. The pale light let the figure be seen. His narrow and flat face with prominent cheekbones betrayed his nature. It was a devil. His back members, four hands and the front ones like goat legs, were held by what looked like heavy silver chains. But his mouth was free.
-Welcome adventurers- hissed he. With every word, he said some sulfur smell seemed to emerge. Before our sight, he shook his black copper brown hips.
-Who are you?- asked Glodin, while he held his weapon.
-Every question has its price- said the devil with a dark smile that let a sort of mark on his tongue be seen that they weren´t able to identify due to the lack of distance and light.
The need for information that could enable them to know where they were and what to do among other worries, made many decide to enter the cell and talk to the creature, even against all reservations Ralminiarrak had about it when he told everyone regarding the creature´s nature, Logokron´s. Many members of the company, disregarding the warnings, dared to enter the cell and have their own questions answered. Those were Sarali, Bongun, Ceredan, Siegfried and Ralminiarrak. They all left the gathering disturbed, feeling dizzy and about to throw up, except for the wizard who said that despite not having agreed on anything with the devil, his name had been told to him: Shevareth. Bongun, collecting himself took a look at Yuserd and she smiled back at him. – I´m familiar with the path Yuserd, I know how to get to Grokral!- The dwarf lady´s excitement was evident in her damp eyes while she wept tears of joy. Bongun showed everyone which path to take to leave that tunnel´s net.
No comments:
Post a Comment